April 09, 2009

PORTLAND, Ore — Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) today joined in a new partnership with the state of Oregon and Mitsubishi toward the development of an electric vehicle charging network to promote the use of zero-emission vehicles.

“Oregon welcomes the partnership with Mitsubishi as we transition to the next generation of vehicles. Together, we can build a consistent and reliable infrastructure so Oregonians can make the switch seamlessly to electric vehicles,” Governor Kulongoski said. “The partnership shows that a state can create opportunity for its commitment to a greener future – wins for our economy and our environment.”

Portland General Electric is a partner in the agreement because the company is developing a charging station infrastructure through its plug-in vehicle initiative. PGE has already installed more than a dozen EV charging stations  in the Portland-metro area and Salem.

"We are developing a model charging station infrastructure across our service territory to advance the electric vehicle market in Oregon for our customers," said Jim Piro, president and CEO, PGE. “Our customers are number one in the nation in purchasing renewable power so clearly they are committed to sustainability. We expect Oregon to be one of the top markets for next generation electric vehicles. We look forward to partnering with Mitsubishi and the state of Oregon on this important project.”

Shinichi Kurihara, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America also announced the partnership today during an address at the New York International Auto Show. The partnership with Oregon is Mitsubishi’s first in the United States.

“Electric vehicles are one of the important solutions toward greater environmental responsibility, and we applaud the State of Oregon’s environmental initiatives. We believe the i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) delivers on the promise of sustainability, range, performance, and innovative packaging and styling for a cleaner tomorrow, today.”

Encouraging the use of electric vehicles is part of Governor Kulongoski’s climate change and transportation agendas for the 2009 legislative session. The Governor has proposed transitioning the state’s tax credit from hybrids to plug-in hybrids and all electric vehicles.

The tax credit proposal and the Governor’s work with the private sector to develop a plan for a network of alternative fuel stations by October 2010 have attracted the attention of several car manufactures. In addition to Mitsubishi, those companies include Nissan, Toyota, BYD and Think.